


Caf is for Closures

by Dyongo



Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:35:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25833601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dyongo/pseuds/Dyongo
Summary: Kallus finds direction while he adjusts to life with the Rebellion and finds council where he least expects it.
Relationships: Alexsandr Kallus/Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios
Comments: 6
Kudos: 64





	Caf is for Closures

Kallus stared blankly at the springs of the bunk above him, and feeling glad it wasn’t the same gray slab of a ceiling. An improvement, yes, but not by much. Different, but still not helping him get any kind of sleep.

Just like being in the Rebellion, he supposed. It was an...experience. Being assigned to a shared bunk, finding a place, helping to right all his wrongs and not under the threat of a death sentence if he spoke up when something didn’t seem right. Still different, and still not helping him get any sleep. He turned his head to look at the chrono above the door to the shared bunk, then over to the pilot sleeping soundly across from him. He was only a little jealous at how comfortable they looked. He also definitely wasn’t jealous of the mechanic above him, snoring softly. Not at all. 

As quietly as he could, he rolled out of his bunk and slipped on his boots, barely lacing them enough to walk out, and quickly grabbed his jacket as well. He could’ve gone barefoot, but the stone inside the temple got cold in the middle of the night and he could fairly say he wasn’t a fan of cold feet after that little stint on Bahryn. A shiver ran through him at the thought. Yeah, cold anything was a hard pass.

He exited the bunk as quietly as he could out of courtesy, hoping it didn’t disturb his bunk mates. Force knew they needed the rest. He made his way to the common room to the sacred, if barely functional caf machine. If he could at least get one good mug, he’d see about finding someone to fix such a temperamental piece of equipment. 

He grabbed a cup from the cabinet and gave it a once over to inspect it for cleanliness and rinsed it again, because some habits were necessary. He slipped it under the dispenser and pressed the brew button only to have it a grinding sputter and deposit an few bits of caf grounds and sludge. 

With a sigh, he rested his head against the frame before snatching his cup back to re-rinse it. 

“Oh good, you’re making caf. I could use some myself.”

Kallus turned so fast the mug slipped right through his hand and clattered noisily across the floor to the feet of a very exhausted looking Hera Syndulla.

“Captain Syndulla! I- um...I’ll get—.” He started looking for a way to clean of the trail of sludge from the dropped cup. She held up a hand before bending down to pick the cup up from the floor and taking it to the sink.

“At ease, Kallus. It’s only spilled...” she eyed the sludge washed away under the sink. “Huh. I don’t even know what to call this.” She said before opening a panel on the caf machine. 

He couldn’t see what she was doing under the panel, but within seconds she had the mug back under the dispenser and it was pouring out actual liquid. All he could do was stand there and fidget with his sleeve cuffs before a hot cup was being pushed at his chest.

He looked up to see the twi’lek giving him an expectant look and took the mug from her while she grabbed another one for herself. He watched her go through the same process he had, inspecting the cup, rinsing it out, and filling it up.

“If I may ask, captain, what brings you here so late?” He found himself asking.

Hera pulled her mug out and took a deep inhale of it. “Late? Or are you just early?” Giving him a smile over the mug before blowing some of the steam and motioning to a table to sit at. Not an explicit invitation, but an invitation nonetheless. He sat.

“I guess it’s a matter of perspective? I am not used to these cycles, so for me at least... it’s late.” He answered as she settled across from him. “It’s a far different environment here.”

“Mmm.” She hummed, reaching for a canister and pouring a good bit of it into her cup before sliding it to him without a word.

“What is it?” He asked eyeing the canister.

“Try it and find out.” She said with a knowing smirk.

He answered with a raised eyebrow and poured a little into his caf before taking a tentative sip. “Oh.”

“Right?” She said leaning back in her chair, giving him a look over as he sipped at the hot cup. 

He nodded, savouring the added sweetness. “What is it?” 

“Sweetener, drived from some kind of died tree bark and fruit, from what I know. Adds to the flavor, with all the benefits.” She sighed, taking another sip. 

“It’s...different, but definitely good.” He said, looking down at the cup with curiosity.

“I get the impression that’s how the Rebellion feels to you in general.” She said, leaning back in her seat.

He gave a small shrug. “You’re not wrong. It is most certainly different. I’m still trying to adjust and I don’t know how I fit in, if I even do, I don’t know if I should even be here, I—“

“Kallus.”

“Yes sir?” He was immediately sitting up straight.

She gave him a tired smile. “Take a deep breath.”

He did.

“And out.”

The air rushed out of his lungs and he placed his head in his hands before looking up at her with the weight of a building apology written all of her his face. 

Clearly reading it, she shook her head. “Don’t apologize. If anything, actually I need wanted to thank you.”

He blinked at her in confusion. “Wh-“

“I know things have been hectic since we landed on Yavin, and between you being confined to the medbay, us running mission, the time never lined up, so if you’ll let me explain, you’ve already made your apology.” 

“Huh?” He was just the paragon of eleoqence.

“When you became Fulcrum, it was a start, and we’d have never known it was you if it wasn’t for you helping Kanan, Ezra and Chopper escape the factory on Lothal. We didn’t realize it at the time, but, before that, you helped Sabine, Wedge and Hobbie escape Skystrike.” She pauses at his wince.

“There was another one, Rake...he-“ he swallowed around the guilt and watching all that potential turn into an explosion.

“Didn’t make it. I know. Sabine told me.” She said, not with malice or blame, just understanding.

He stared down at his hands cupped around his mug. This conversation was both cathartic and agonizing.

“She didn’t tell us about the message you sent for Zeb when she came back, not until much later. I suppose Mandalorians have some rule about sending messages, But Zeb didn’t say anything when we rescued him from Bahryn. We assumed he was alone all that time.” She paused, assessing him. “You never did tell the Empire he was with you, did you?”

Kallus sighed. “I considered it, but I also knew it’d be one more failure in my line of duty and I’d be discharged, likely via airlock or blaster squad.” He hummed bitterly, taking a long pull from his mug. 

“Garazeb...Zeb gave me a lot to think about, on Bahryn. He saved my life, as well. I felt I could at least follow through, either to prove him wrong or prove myself right.” He blew out a bitter laugh. “As it turned out, he was right...and I was very..very wrong.” He looked at her with that same apologetic look.

“You know, when Ezra called us after escaping the factory and mentioned you two being stranded on that ice moon with you, he got quite the lecture about it.” She watched with amusement as Kallus floundered, giving a laugh at his expression. “Don’t worry. It’s not the first time he’s kept something from us. He doesn’t do it without a good reason. Zeb...is a protective being. And even though I don’t entirely understand it the way he explained it, he seemed to know you’d find your way. One way or the other. You just needed the time, and like you said,” she paused tipping her cup to him. “He was right.”

Kallus felt his whole body heat up with a tingle of a blush and raised his mug to hers with a gentle clink before allowing a small smile.

“I owe him...so much. He saved my life and I... can’t stop thinking about him. I don’t...even know where to start, I...” He said suddenly, swallowing the rising knot in his throat, before drowning it behind his caf and gathering his scrambled thoughts. “And you, as well. You could have left me over Atollon.” It was the only deflection he could say and mean at the moment.

Hera shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Even if I wanted too, Zeb would’ve stolen then Phantom and gone back for you.” 

Kallus gave her a dubious look. Hera sent back an equally dubious, yet disapproving look, like there was something he was missing. “You don’t see it?”

Kallus blinked at her, confused. “See what?” 

She drained the last of her mug and reached over to pat his shoulder as she stood. “Well, I’m not the one to answer that, honestly. But,” she turned to wash her mug out and hang it to dry. “You’re a smart man, you’ll find your answers. As for me,” she sat the clean mug back in the cabinet, “I have to go help analyze combat flight patterns.”

She turned back to him, drying her hands on a worn towel and looking at him as though she could see his very soul. “You can’t avoid him forever. He won’t let you. If you want to be better, do better, trust him. Believe in him the way he believes in you.” Then she smiled, bright and full of warmth. “Let me know when he’s wrong, though. I have some credits to collect.” 

Kallus watched her leave, mind whirring like a an overloaded droid. After a moment he got up and refilled his cup. 

Clearly he had some answers to find.

**Author's Note:**

> This was going to be a second chapter for my fic Restless, and then I got carried away. Way away. Hope y’all enjoyed it all the same :)


End file.
